Advent December 9, 2006

Your Daily Advent DevotionalDecember 9, 2006
Enjoy!
Enjoy the Christ of Christmas!
Enjoy the ones you love!For "every good and perfect giftCometh from above."

Have you heard what the angels are saying?
Several times in history, God has poked a hole through the sky and let His divine joy shine down on us.
When Solomon first dedicated God's temple, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings, and the priests couldn't go inside the temple because the glory of the Lord had filled it like a cloud.
And at the first Christmas, when God's Son arrived, He sent a vast array of angels singing thrilling songs, as well as a very special, shining, mystical star. God pulled out the stops!
The words of the angels' song recorded in Luke 2:14 were full of joy: "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!"
Have you forgotten where you left your joy?
Jesus' first coming to earth can still result in glory to God and peace on earth. That's revival, renewal!
The two of us have seen it happen over and over, as God's people in missions groups or churches--dry, tired, bugged at each other--have experienced His Spirit's cleansing and refreshing. Invariably, their faces shine with a renewed sense of glory to God, and their hearts swell with a desire for restored peace among men. And then--oh, how they sing!
Could you use a little of that right now? Tell Him today. And don't forget the joy!
Joy!
Try to catch the scope of their song:
Those in the highest places in heaveneternally enjoy His glory.
Those on earth--through all ages of human history--can enjoy His peace.
All heaven and earth are deeply affected with joy by the birth of Christ.
For you and us another year has fled,And varied are the ways that God has led.But if the year brought stress to you or loss,Christ came to bear them all upon His crossSo Christmas joy is deepAnd goodAnd strong
Look up, our friend,And sing a Christmas song!

Excerpted from:

How Great Our Joy: Family Memories and Meditations for Christmas, by Ray and Anne Ortlund